Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-27
lady OF age from Harper's Bazaar com
mends itself.
BLACK SILK DRESSES.

BLACK SILK DRESSES.
The "best black silk dress" for elderly
ladies', about which correspondents have
asked information, is of the repped silks,
| faille franchise, or OF Bengaline, II the
dress is to be worn at all seasons; but il
meant for summer use only, silk Surah is
chosen. The basque is laid in fan pleats
ct the back, while the front is turned
back in reVers at the top, reaching only
to the bust for slender figures, bat to the
waist line or lower for those who are
broader. The space inside these revers
may be left quite plain, but for more
dressy old ladies there may be two or
three plastrons used there to vary the
toilette-one of pleated white China
Grape, or of gathered point d'esprit net,
or of black gauze, or g colored
silk vest may be made of laYen-
der, Suede, or other becoming shade.
The greater number Of elderly ladies,
however, prefer this basque all black,
using their own real lace of fine black
Chantilly in a jabot down each side Of
the buttons, WITH some pendant drops Of
! let amid the lace, or else with Jet in the
collar ard the small cuffs of the coat
sleeves; a lace shawl Is then draped
across the front, or pointed toward the
right side, with the left side laid in pleats
/ Of the silk, or else trimmed with @ lace
| iabot, or with lengthWise rows of the
! lace, set on with bands of MORE ribbon
! between. For palmer tastes the black
| silk skirt is laid in three wide box plests
on the front and sides, separated by
small pleets, and these may be left plain,
or else little Jet or lace or bands of
watered ribbon can be set on the wide
panel pleats; the drapery is then con-
fined to the back, and is in two wing like
points, or swings in shawl shapes, or is
in straight wide pleats dropping over the
top in short Arab folds. There should
be no looping to these back draperies,
nor puffs across the tournure that re-
quire to be adjusted after the WeRrer has
been sitting. Long, straight effects
should be sought, made full enough
to avoid all appearance Of scantiness,
and falling into soft folds in any
position. a foot ple8ting may be added
to the foundation skirt, but is not visible
outside; a pinked black silk balaYeuse
pleating inside the facing gives a neat
finish. If front drapery is required by
slight figures, it may be in short curves
across the hips, or else there may be
long plested fan apron, with the pleats
well defined down the middle, and the
sides curVing up to the hips; such aprons
are again edged with lace put on in slight
gathers under hem, without any head
ing. lids of silk muslin or OF canvas are
the lingerie for these dresses.
Satins and brocades, which are not
now generally used, are still in favor for
trained dressed for elderly ladies'. Worth
uses special brOCades of black, steel gray,
golden brown, or gray-blue for these
stately gowns, with very large designs OF
flower branches, each branch more than
half yard long, or else of large oval
links, or of great fern leaves Of satin sunk
in repped silk surfaces of the same shade.
BALL DRESS.
A pretty dancing dress Tor g young lady
is made of white China Grape over slip
of white faille. The long draperies of
the Grape are arranged in diagonal folds
across the entire front Of the dress, aGd
kept in place by clusters OF large creamy
margueTites. Epaulettes
of the same flowers mingled with drop !
ping green foliage, are set on the right |
shoulder of the V-shaped bodice, which !
is OF the Grape, with the lOwCut underlin- |
ing Of the silk. The bebe sleeves are |
made of lace. The dress entire would |
make a charming one for first ball.
NOTES.
Longer and straighter grow skirt drap- |
cries.
Straight and curled bangs are both
fashionable.
Sailor suits are immensely popular for
little boys.
Finely cut amber pins are brilliant as
topaz.
Pale pink gloves and silk hose are the
latest for brides.
Palslrons, draped diagonslly from right |
to left, are coming into general favor.
Carved ivory jewelry is considered very |
elegant to wear with white wool dresses. |
Lace bretelles are seen upon many of
the new round-waisted summer toilets.
gray silk makes up better without
with either black or white.
Dresses entirely of black Grape, with
wide cuffs and collars of white Grape, are
worn bp widows.
Two pairs of very narrow and long rib
Don strings are seen on some dresSy |
French bonnets.
Pocket handkerchiefs are small in
1etiste, colored designs; for morning
wear narrow hens are fashionable.
Broad bands of white stitching on
black kid gloves are de rigeur with white
md black toilets of nigh ceremony.
Satins are going out of favor, and there |
lore are very cheap. but they make lovely |
lnder dresses for lace froCks.
Amber beads and bracelets are COnsid- !
cred the utterly consummste adJuncts of
black lace dresses, with sleeves a la
srecque.
Blouse waists belted in with fancy belts
are to be very stylish for such fabrics as
;repeline, canvas cloth, thin bereges and
awns.
Shirred waists are stylish, and are very
orodigal in the amount of shirring which
s put with them. On the whole yoke.
ops of the sleeves and at the belt line
here are many rows of fine shirring.
Lawns and lowered muslins will be
much worn the coming season, and the
delicate Vslenciennes edge, always
pretty and dainty, will furnish the many
,uf1es which decorate these attractive
GOWNS.
Not only does fashion seem most partial
10 the diagonal bodice fastening, but she
llso places one revers at the top, an
other below, or both on the right or left
side as caprice dictates.
Little girls wear hats with big crowns
and medium width bIims, trimmed with
lnge lunches of flowers knotted to the
crowns with loops of ribbon that match +
the colors of the flowers.
Black is one of the revived colozs both
for suits and millinery. One oil the
pFettiest bits of head-dressing is black
x,,ifh nj